Sorry for the gayass exclamation point in the title. Guess I been reading too much stupid tweeting that comes out the white house!

What do you do in a (let's face it mostly futile) attempt to keep your swing in shape, after the sun's gone down and it's time to be inside? Golf as a game might be a strictly outdoors, daylight activity. But Golf as we all know is much more than some game. It is a way of life and life goes on 24/7, jack.

I will confess that for the past few years, I don't really watch TV anymore so much as stand in front of the thing while swinging a club back and forth. Taking a step outside myself I will admit that this does resemble caged-animal stress behavior, but what can I say I sort of enjoy it, haven't tired of it yet. What can I say, I am student of the golf swing and this is my goddamn home study.

Lately I swing mostly with the upside down club, for a couple reasons. First I don't ever like striking the rug with the clubhead, and making practice swings while specifically trying to avoid contact at the low point does not seem like a good idea. Swinging upside down on the other hand, the butt end makes a quiet but satisfying thwack that gives good enough feedback about your low point, without being destructive to the flooring. I can feel free to make contact while swinging all out, and I feel that is important.

Also believe that swinging an unweighted stick can reveal a lot about the swing. When I first started working with it I had a very hard time producing any kind of a loud whoosh sound. My swing was so bad, and so predicated on steepening the shaft, and casting the heavy weight of the clubhead that without it I didn't know how to make the thing whoosh. My journey towards a shallower plane as been guided in large part by the upside down club.

Seems to me that, in the absence of a ball being hit (i.e. during practice in the home/office), swinging upside down offers better feedback than right side up. Anyways, this is a highly personal feel (that I started a thread for a while ago) that works for me, in the living room. Interested to hear about the various setups, inventions, adventures, misadventures of trying to get better at golf in and around the home.

I use old bathroom mats to avoid damaging the carpet. But mostly I just swing w/o a club when ever I pass a mirror. Get a look at what my arms & upper body is doing on it's way to the top of the back swing.

Still have a net & mat at the top of my golf spending list. But not sure when that will happen, I told the wife I have a drop dead timeline of next April when I get my bonus. So if I don't have a setup to actually hit balls by then I will.

I don't take full swings of any sort in the house, but I do have a sizeable backyard to practice shots from the rough and a very good mat (on which you can hit down on the ball without harming your body or your clubs) that I keep in the driveway for practicing fairway shots. As long as there is no snow, I am usually swinging daily, if I'm not actually on the course playing or practicing. For longer irons and woods, I use AlmostGolf balls, as I have mentioned on here in the past. They fly about a 1/3 the distance of a real ball and you can work them up/down/left/right like real balls. For short irons and wedges I can hit real balls. I have about 135-140 yards to the back of my property, which is lined with large pine trees, so the occasional 150 yard shot is usually knocked down or caught up in the trees. (I'm sure a few have made it through, but that neighbor has never said anything. I'm careful not to hit 150+ yard shots when I hear him out there mowing! )

In addition, my basement is completely finished with a perfect carpet for chipping practice, which I do virtually every day of the year. The ball doesn't roll as quickly as it would on a fast green like those I play on, but I use the practice more to work on my chip tempo, technique, ball/ground contact, and feel for the perfect landing spot/distance. I can hit checking chips or bump & runs. I have an unobstructed area of about 50 feet to work with. Unless I am sick in bed or away from home, I do this everyday, at least 20-30 chips at a time (sometimes over 100), just before heading to the course if I'm playing, but otherwise whenever I need a break from whatever I am doing around the house.

Okay, I have mentioned this AlmostGolf ball a few times over the years, as well as earlier in this thread, but thought it would be good to show it here to give those of you looking for a way to stay sharp over the winter a bit more info on it. Here's a YouTube video (there are tons on line) which will highlight what you can do with this great practice ball.

They are definitely worth the price (a box of 36 is about 30 bucks) and last forever as long as you don't mow over them in the yard, as I do all the time. Funny thing is, even after having cuts from the mower in them, I still hit them and can still get some feedback from them, albeit not as much as one that's never been a victim of my SCAG zero-turn.